The term 'world-system' is a modern English compound, constructed in the 20th century by sociologist Immanuel Wallerstein to name his theoretical framework. The first element, 'world', derives from the Old English 'woruld', which originally referred to 'the age of man' and later expanded to mean the earth and its inhabitants. The second element, 'system', originates from the Greek 'sustēma', meaning 'organized whole, body', which passed into Latin as 'systema' and then into modern European languages. The compound's logic is transparently literal: it designates the entire world conceptualized as a single, integrated, and structured entity with its own internal dynamics and hierarchies, moving from the ancient, broad concepts of 'world' and 'system' to a specific, modern socio-historical analytical concept.

Structure: world (the earth) + system (organized set) world: Old English origin, meaning 'human existence, the earth, the universe'. In this compound, it denotes the global or universal scope. system: From Greek via Latin and French, meaning 'organized whole, combination of parts'. In this compound, it denotes the structured, interconnected nature.